A cold frontal passage brought high winds to southeast and central Idaho with many reports of damage.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS PIH wrote it up.
A cold frontal passage brought high winds to southeast and central Idaho with many reports of damage.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 24, 1:20 AM MST, 10 hours 40 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 220 AM MDT Wed May 24 2017 .SHORT TERM...Today through Friday night. An upper level system and associated cold front will move into southeast Idaho and expect winds to increase this afternoon with wind advisories in the Eastern Magic Valley and Snake River Plain in effect today from noon through 9 pm. May see some blowing dust reducing visibility along interstate 15 mainly north of Idaho Falls. Expect mainly dry conditions with the front with the best chance of showers and thunderstorms in the southern highlands near the Utah and Wyoming borders. A second upper level system will drop south from Canada Thursday and expect most shower and thunderstorm activity in the central mountains and Upper Snake Highlands. The convective activity will continue Friday and expect more widespread coverage across all of southeast Idaho. After very warm conditions today expect a significant drop in temperatures Thursday into Friday with below normal readings expected. GK .LONG TERM...Saturday through Wednesday. Models in good agreement with the pattern over the west being ridge dominant thru the extended period. This means above normal temps and generally dry conditions. Both GFS and ECMWF show some moisture being pulled into the ridge...leading to isolated tstms during the aftn/eve hours each day over the central mtns and upper Snake Highlands. Other than that...the extended period looks pretty quiet. Hedges && .AVIATION...An upper low and cold front will sweep thru eastern ID this aftn bringing strong southwest winds to mainly the Snake River Plain. VFR skies are expected...but some vis reductions are possible due to blowing dust. This would be most likely at KBYI...KPIH...and KIDA. Winds will settle down somewhat this eve. Hedges && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory from noon today to 9 PM MDT this evening for IDZ017-020-021. &&
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds downed a tree and powerline in Ashton and a powerline in Chester. The Idaho transportation department closed Idaho route 32 from Ashton to Tetonia. An accident occurred on the road due to blowing dust prior to the closure.
A 62 mph wind gust measured at Idaho Falls airport. Interstate 15 was closed for several hours from Idaho Falls to Roberts due to blowing dust. Several trees and light poles were blown down in Idaho Falls. Some trees fell on houses and cars. A trailer was overturned on US 26 just east of Idaho Falls. The Idaho Falls zoo closed due to the wind.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, May 2017
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 704284, 704295.